SMS Killed the Telegram

India’s state-owned telecom company has announced that it will send its last telegram on July 14th.

So, the first ‘text message’ service is ending, as it has been largely replaced by its ‘grandson’ SMS, arguably the most popular text message service ever. This last telegram will be sent 144 years after Samuel Morse sent the first telegram in the U.S.—144 years is not a bad run for a technology. How long will SMS last?